Recommendations for the estimation of the strength of the railway wheel set press fit joint

Although press fit joints are very important in railway engineering, few authors have investigated the strength of press fit joints in terms of their application in railway vehicles. This study analyses the tribological parameters that influence the strength of press fit joints, especially the contact pressure and the static friction coefficient. This research was targeted towards the control of the friction coefficient value to obtain the required strength of a press fit joint in conditions close to the minimum contact pressure that results in less prestressed press fit joints. To estimate press fit joint strength, this study examines the use of minimum and maximum values of the friction coefficient as recommended in the literature considering wide tribological conditions, as well as the experimentally determined friction coefficient values for specific tribological conditions. The study also points out the discrepancy between current railway standards and engineering practice considering the inspection of wheel set press fit joint strength.